AFRICA: The UN warned “the risk of mass deaths from starvation … is growing” among people in conflict and drought-hit areas of the Horn of Africa, Yemen and Nigeria.

AMERICAS: Cuba urged Latin American countries to unite in the face of mounting right-wing pressure on Venezuela’s socialist government.

ASIA: North Korea warned it would respond to “reckless acts of aggression” by the US, as a US aircraft carrier strike group headed toward the Korean Peninsula.

EUROPE: In Turkey, a large explosion near a police headquarters rocked the mainly Kurdish southeastern city of Diyarbakir, with reports of at least four people injured.

MIDDLE EAST: Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu said the Syrian government still possessed chemical weapons capacity and urged for measures to prevent its potential usage.

TECHNOLOGY: US authorities moved to take down a global computer botnet behind the massive theft of personal data and unwanted spam emails, as Spain arrested the notorious Russian hacker who operated it.

TOP STORY

Group of Seven: International pressure mounts against Russia over Syria.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and top foreign diplomats held an urgent meeting to strategize on a way forward to end the protracted civil war in Syria.

Secretary Tillerson carried a unified message from world powers to Moscow, denouncing Russian support for Syria and taking up America’s traditional role as leader of the West on behalf of Donald Trump’s administration.

However, the G7 group of nations failed to reach agreement over threatening new sanctions against Russia and Syria.

UK PM Theresa May and US President Donald Trump agreed there is a “window of opportunity” to persuade Russia to abandon its support for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

German FM Sigmar Gabriel said Russia, and Assad ally Iran, must be involved in any peace process to end Syria’s six-year civil war.

According to a US official, the US has made a preliminary conclusion that Russia knew in advance of Syria’s chemical weapons attack last week, but has no proof of Moscow’s involvement.

Zambia: Zambian police surrounded opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema’s home in the capital Lusaka, but gave no reason why. (Reuters)

AMERICAS

Region: Cuba urged Latin American countries to unite in the face of mounting right-wing pressure on Venezuela’s socialist government. (Xinhua)

Colombia: The UN mission is on the verge of completing the registry of about 7,000 weapons formerly held by the FARC guerrillas. (EFE)

Venezuela: Venezuelan opposition said more than 200 people were injured in the anti-government demonstrations in several states across the country. (EFE)

ASIA

Region: India warned Pakistan of serious consequences if it executes a retired Indian naval officer convicted of espionage and sabotage. (AP)

Korea Peninsula: North Korea warned it would respond to “reckless acts of aggression” by the US, as a US aircraft carrier strike group headed toward the Korean Peninsula. (CNN)

Myanmar: The country started shutting down three displacement camps in strife-torn Rakhine state, although it was not immediately clear where the inhabitants would go. (AFP)

Philippines: Nine people were killed following a battle between government forces and suspected Abu Sayayaf militants in the central resort island of Bohol. (NYT)

EUROPE

Cyprus: Talks aimed at reunifying the ethnically divided island restarted with rival leaders hoping to claw back diminished trust and lost momentum after a two-month halt. (AP)

France: A camp housing 1,500 migrants near Dunkirk was destroyed in a fire that officials said began during a fight between Afghans and Kurds, injuring at least 10 people. (BBC)

Russia: Opposition leader Alexei Navalny said he would keep organizing large anti-Kremlin demonstrations despite being jailed for orchestrating the biggest protests against the authorities in years. (Reuters)

Sweden: Rakhmat Akilov, the main suspect in the deadly truck attack in Stockholm that killed four and injured 15, admitted in court to committing a terrorist crime. (Reuters)

Turkey: A large explosion near a police headquarters rocked the mainly Kurdish southeastern city of Diyarbakir, with reports of at least four people injured. (BBC)

MIDDLE EAST

Iran: The country opened registration for those hoping to run in the 19MAY presidential race. (AP)

Iraq: The Iraqi military says the Islamic State group has lost more than three-fourths of the territory it seized since 2014. (AP)

Syria: Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu said the Syrian government still possessed chemical weapons capacity and urged for measures to prevent its potential usage. (Reuters)

Syria: The US airstrike on the Shayrat airbase destroyed about 20% of the Syrian government’s operational aircraft, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said. (CNN)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Technology: US authorities moved to take down a global computer botnet behind the massive theft of personal data and unwanted spam emails, as Spain arrested the notorious Russian hacker who operated it. (AFP)